Bad Kitten
by Box
Summary: Nagi's been kiiiidnaaaapeeeeeeeeed. And Schwarz has no idea how, who or why. Not lighthearted (by a long stretch) and will eventually deal with disturbing (though non-graphic) themes. AU, NC, YAOI, and ANGSTANGSTANGST.
1. Prologue

**Bad Kitten: Prologue  
By. Bento Box  
04/02/03**

---

He tilted back into his chair. His index finger gently circled the top of his drink, over and over again, making smooth, soothing circles along the cup's rim.

Eyelids lowered into a drowsy expression, and he watched through his lethargy as people swiftly moved about through their day-to-day routine. He was so very, very bored.

_It's so boring here._ The people so drab and uninteresting, little specks of pale colors that danced and flitted within his mind as he dragged a lazy scan throughout them.

He made a small noise in the back of his throat, a thoughtful little hum. He could just go back to the club and find some 'entertainment' but none of those scantily clad bodies held any interest to him. They were boring. Drab little things, starving and hollow little husks.

The thoughtful hum stopped and he blinked away the drowsy laziness of the morning sun. He called for his tab and the plastic-smile was easily pasted onto the waiter's face as he quickly moved over to the table.

While he waited for the return of his card, a sudden spark caught and glimmered to life in his mind. Intrigued, he followed the shimmer of light, and soon his eyes were drawn to a slender figure down the opposite side of the street he was at, and headed towards the nearby private school.

A smile began to spread, slow and dark, across his face.

_Perhaps, it won't be so boring here after all._

The waiter came back with his card and receipt and he tucked away both items in his jacket pocket with a distracted air. His dark eyes were still trained on the light blue uniform, and the darkhaired figure that grew smaller and smaller as it walked off in the distance. The small back was turned to him, so he couldn't see the face, but the distinctly bright glow that covered the body was pretty. _So very, very pretty._

The thoughtful hum returned, and it had a strange resonance to it, like the purr of a contented cat.

_No, not so boring after all._


	2. Chapter One

**Bad Kitten: Chapter One  
By. Bento Box  
04/02/03 **

---

"Nagi, get up. You're going to be late."

The cold voice penetrated his blissfully deep sleep. It made him drag his eyelids upwards and the comfortable darkness receded to the unwelcome sight that was Crawford.

Nagi blinked at the older man blearily for several seconds, and said nothing in response to the command..

Crawford stood in the doorway a little while longer before he turned and went back into the kitchen where he sat down in one of the empty chairs at the small kitchen table. He didn't touch the slowly cooling mug of coffee, and barely glanced at the neatly spread newspaper in his hands.

Back in Nagi's room, the teen sighed and buried his face into his pillow.

With an air of one being sentenced to his death, he managed to prop himself up with one arm and ran cold fingers over his face.

His breath was a bitter warmth on his icy skin and he let his hand fall back onto the pillow. He sat there and stared at the white surface, stroked it with his fingers and wished he could sleep forever. Never having to face the dawn. Never having to live during the night the way he did with so much blood and swirling darkness.

_Too much melodrama in the morning is not good._

A small frown twisted his lips, and he pushed his body into a sitting position on the bed. He stared down at his hands, and was suddenly rivted to the sight of his own pale, slender fingers that held so little heat.

Some hands brought warmth and security. Those kinds of hands belonged to a caring mother as she wiped away the tears of her child, who was suffering from a scratch on his knee.

Some hands brought food and wealth to table. Those kinds of hands belonged to a father who loved his family deeply.

Some hands brought death and pain. Those hands belonged to the tainted ones, the ones crying softly for their stolen innocence.

He shook himself abruptly, a self-depracting sneer on his narrow face. He was disgusted with himself for such poetically dark thoughts.

The bed creaked when he finally stood. Another day... another long morning that would melt into the afternoon. Then night would trickle and fall into the sky, and drink away the sun.

His face felt cold and pinched as a carefully blank and dettached expression slid into place.

Just another day.

**—**

Nagi barely registred it when Fusé-sensei dismissed the class. He was on auto-pilot, mechanically putting away his books and papers. He was still unnerved by the unease that had suddenly descended upon him that morning as he had walked along the block to school.

He couldn't decipher the meaning behind the ill-feeling in his stomach, the unwanted tremble at the base of his spine.

A group of other students walked past him as he exited down into the hallway. Their laughter distracted him for a moment, and he realized why when a couple of the girls threw not so subtle looks back at him. Something in their expressions, the way they turned back to their friends and laughed told Nagi that the looks were not of a flirtatious nature.

He felt the cold expression on his face harden further, and the air around him crackled slightly, silently as he contemplated unleashing a small little 'nudge' that would cause at least two, if not all, of the girls to stumble and fall clumsily to the ground.

But there was hardly any satisfaction from such a childish retalliation and his let his powers slip quietly into dormancy once more.

For the moment, Nagi's earlier unease was completely forgotten.

He continued to walk past the classroom doors, down the steps, and out into the sunny afternoon.

He started to make his way down the street when the discontentment settled in shiverly little whispers down his neck and back.

He hunched into himself unconsciously as the churning discomfort in his stomach spread widely into an endless pit. His eyes scanned the area covertly, not betraying his unease with any suspicious or out of place movements.

He fought the urge to look over his shoulder, where his eyes couldn't scan, when there was nothing to be found out of place to the front or either side of him.

He knew now at least, that the cause of his wariness was coming from behind him. To make any sudden moves out of the ordinary would alert whatever it was watching, or trailing, him that he was now aware of the unwanted presence.

His eyes narrowed as he continued to walk at his usual calm, even paces. Think, think, he had to think fast. How was he going to find out who was tailing him? For that was what it had to be, his instincts and training screamed at him that he was indeed being followed.

He briefly toyed with the idea of contacting Schuldig when he instantly cut that idea off.

If it was nothing, the German would soon have yet another of Nagi's 'quirks' to taunt him with. As good as Nagi was at ignoring and blocking the man and his childish behavior, he didn't want the added annoyance, especially if it really was nothing like paranoia caused by stress.

And if his unease proved to be true, and the presence was truly something to be worried about, he should be able to hold off well enough on his own for a bit before calling to Schuldig to bring in reinforcements. _If_ he needed Schuldig and the others in the first place.

Plan of action resolved, Nagi smoothly walked down the alternate direction from that he usually took to get to the subways. This new direction should, if his memory served to be flawless as it usually was, take him down an empty street would he would be able to confront the presence out of the public eye easily enough.

Despite the confidence he felt in being able to handle whatever this was, Nagi was still very wary. He was being tailed. He had no idea by who, and he had no way of knowing if the person--persons--who followed him were aware of his connection to Schwarz or not.

It could even something as harmless as the group of girls who had passed him earlier that day, wanting to taunt and tease him face-to-face.

But no, that couldn't be it. They hadn't instilled the unease of which he had felt that morning, and now felt again with alarming urgency.

It also couldn't be one of the many larger boys, bullies who delighted in making Nagi as their victim. Crawford's orders were to never, under any circumstances, bring attention to his powers in the public eye. Hence the various times he would get to the apartment, covered in bruises, bleeding from cuts and raw wounds that would garner looks from alarmed civilians and anxious queries, but only a disinterested look, wide sneer or bloodlust-filled gaze from his fellow Schwarz members.

The sudden, instinctive tensing of his entire body brought Nagi back from his thoughts and he snarled at himself mentally for such trivial distractions.

He eased to a stop, invisible hackles raised as he gathered his power about him, tightly coiled and eager to be unleashed onto its prey.

There was no release, however, of his powers when the world suddenly dropped from under his feet. The concentrated energy around his body melted away as he collapsed, unconscious, to the hard, paved ground.


	3. Chapter Two

**Bad Kitten: Chapter Two  
By. Bento Box  
04/02/03 **

---

_Darkness._

It was the first conscious thought, emotion, sense his perception brought to him. His mind seemed dettached from his body, and he couldn't tell if the darkness stemmed from within the empty silence of his own mind, curiously blank of any flickering images, or if his eyes were open and he was enveloped in a pitch-black vicinity.

Odd, how he never noticed how truly intertwined his mind and body were. How even something so natural as the slight rise and fall of his chest as he took in and breathed out air. Now, he felt no such ties.

He couldn't tell if he was truly conscious or not. Perhaps this was all an eery and all too real seeming dream or nightmare that he was suddenly caught up in.

But why was there only darkness? And why wasn't he able to feel his body, the way he normally would when he was consciously aware that he was in a dream?

The lack of control, of bodily awareness struck a cord within him, deep inside the darkness that he could not maneuver himself through.

He couldn't feel his body shudder, or the smooth hand that trailed down his arm, but abruptly all and any conscious thoughts fled.

And he slipped further into the featureless, empty well.

**—**

Crawford was pulling into a parking lot when the vision suddenly struck. His glasses slipped down his nose as he his hand jerked upwards to clutch and brace his forehead.

When the vision receded and murmured quietly into the back of his mind, the man beside him gave him a questioning look.

Neither his thoughts or emotions touched the grim words he uttered.

"Nagi's been kidnapped."

**—**

It was hours later that the meeting with their new clientale finally drew to an end. And though the ride back to the apartment had been silent, as soon as they both had crossed the threshold into the current apartment that served as a safehouse for Schwartz, Schuldig was soon on the American, eyes alight with disbelief.

"What the FUCK do you mean, Nagi's been kidnapped?!"

Crawford adjusted his glasses, and gave the other man a cool look, one elegantly shaped brow raised.

The German sneered at him, and knew the expression as 'I do not believe that I truly need to define in detail what I have just stated you ignoramus fool.'

"Fuck it, Crawford, just tell me how the hell was anyone able to kidnap _Nagi_. What, you're pre-cognition didn't fucking warn you that one of our _members_ was going to be taken?"

The American's face tightened imperceptibly and he leveled Schuldig with an icy look. He was not pleased with himself for not forseeing this sudden disaster, and he did not take it kindly when Schuldig took it upon himself to point that out verbally.

Frowning at the German darkly, as a silent command to "shut up and stay still", he focused and placed all of his concentration into his powers, reaching out with his mind to run along the vein that revealed Nagi's ties to him. Millions and millions of delicate little lines interconnected to make a web that showed Crawford who was tied in with whom, the why, when and how displayed in flickering images.

And throughout the entire web, Crawford came up with nothing.

His control in seeing the future was not infallible, but he should have at least been able to catch at least a glimpse of future outcomes. Here, he was met with nothing. Blank walls faced him when he tried to reach out for Schwartz's future, Nagi's future. And where Nagi's lines were, their delicate fingers trailed off into darkness, as if his ties had been severed.

Disturbed by the image of the threads that disappeared off into an abyss that he could not follow Crawford drew himself back into the present and stared back into snapping green eyes, his face a complete mask of infallible calm. 

"Reach Nagi with your mind."

Schuldig's eyes widened and then narrowed as he stared at Crawford in unconcealed surprise and slight unease.

Crawford allowed the corners of his mouth to turn downwards and he pinned the other man's eyes with a cold, hard stare.

"Do it, Schuldig."

Schuldig gave him a look that was a cross between a mocking smirk, and a sneer. Immersing himself within his own powers, he blocked out the vast sea of billions and billions of voices to pinpoint the mental link he held with Nagi, as he had with the other two men as well.

Unlike the constant presence of the world's voices, and the other Schwartz members, Nagi's end of the link was completely silent. Dead silent.

_Nagi?_

A crease formed between his brows, and he concentrated harder, not believing that he couldn't reach Nagi. Even if the boy were to be unconsciousness, he would still be able to enter the other's mind and sift through his memories. He called again, mental voice louder, harsher.

Silence answered him. There was nothing at all to reveal that there really even was a link between Schuldig and the boy. As if Nagi were dead and there was no living body to feed the mind that he should be able to touch. But Schuldig would know if the boy was dead, their links would have been severed and left open and bleeding until Schuldig himself pulled away. It would not be this empty, hollow echo that Schuldig had instead. 

This was not possible. It made no sense.

Schuldig reluctantly withdrew from within his mind.

Crawford was still staring at him, and when Schuldig offered no scathing and gleeful remark of how his powers were 'above the American's and wasn't that just dandy?', a grim look appeared his face.

"Call the school and his teachers to see if Nagi was there."


	4. Chapter Three

**Bad Kitten: Chapter Three  
By. Bento Box  
04/03/03**

---

Soft, smooth lips trailed over bared flesh. The carress felt like the glide of silk over freshly bathed, indulged skin and the sensation made the sleeping body tremble unconsciously.

So very pretty, this one was. The boy had (one of) the most beautiful aura about him, and even fewer that he had come across had ever possessed one as vivid and alluring as this boy's.

He smiled against the velvety soft skin, and enjoyed the way the bright colors shivered and coiled around one another, the way the boy's unconscious body would, the flesh curling away from him but the shimmering slivers of light _towards_ him. 

He brushed a lingering carress down the boy's face, where his fingers stilled to stroke at the soft, slightly parted lips.

He slid off of the bed, stood, and gazed down at the slumbering boy.

Such a marvelous chance to have found his precious treasure; _my pretty, little kitten._

With a smille still on his face, he hummed and walked quietly out of the room to attend to the business evening had surely brought him.

He would come play with his little one later.

**—**

Consciousness combated with the deep slumber he had fallen into. He blinked several times as the clutches of sleep receded from him and stared blankly across the expanse of black under his head.

_Black?_

Confused, and not knowing why he felt so unbalanced, he pushed himself up with his hands, skin sliding over silk sheets.

Awareness returned to him bit by bit and he realized that there was very little, in fact, nothing at all, between his skin and the black silk sheets under and over his body.

Blue eyes darkened, and sharp, clawing emotions he had not felt in years entered his chest--_fear, dread, helplessness._

The muscles in his jaws worked as he clenched his teeth and fought for control over his breathing and heart rate. No panicking.

He drew the sheets up around his shoulders and clenched at the parted cloth up at his chest. He rose quickly from the unusual, foreign bed and started to scan the room.

It was rather ornate, one of the most elegantly furnished rooms he had ever been in, but the carefully matched set draperies and accompanying furniture was less than appealing to Nagi's eyes. He had to find a way out of this place. The sense of distorientation and fear was not a sensation he relished, and the room stifled the air about him as he tried to gather his shaken wits to come up with a plan, **now**.

_Damnit, no windows!_

The light that enveloped the room came through from clear, glass panes high up in the ceiling. He frowned upwards at it, the sight reminded him of the lights found in large buildings with their rectangular squares set apart in carefully measured distances.

His eyes flickered back towards the door. If it was locked, he could just open it with his powers. If it wasn't...

Nagi didn't truly believe that whoever these people were, to have been able to knock him unconscious without him even once coming face to face with them, that they'd be careless enough to leave him in an unlocked, unguarded room.

Come to think of it, why the _hell_ was he in a _room_? _Naked_?

The tremble at the base of his spine returned abruptly, and he shoved the unwanted questions away viciously, not wanting to explore the many possibilities and scenarios of the answers he could come up with, despite there being no... subtle or obvious signs of physical discomfort. Except for the twisting and churning of his stomach at that particular train of though. He gave himself a mental, violent shake. _FOCUS!_

His eyes narrowed and he walked swiftly over to the door.

He reached out to turn the ornate gold handle and nodded a bit in satisfaction when it didn't turn.

He concentrated and reached out with his powers to tamper with the locks, waited for the soft click that would notify him of his success.

But abruptly freezing, his heart stopping as well, when he only grasped at nothing, with nothing.

It wasn't there anymore, that constant presence, the familiar weight of air compressed around him to follow his every whim and command.

_No!_

And he reached out again, frantic and shaken as he battled his panic for control; control that he couldn't feel anymore because he could not _reach_!

He could hear the ragged breaths, painful and sharp sounds, echo dully in time with the roar of blood in his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut, sheet forgotten, as he unclenched his fists to splay against the cool surface of the wood door, and reached, demanded and screamed at his silent powers to _give way_ and let him out!

_Nonononono!_

He denied the hysterical cry from breaching past his pressed lips, as he stared, wild eyes wide and blind to the grains of the glossy wood. He felt himself forcefully _shove_ with his entire being against the door, willing for the entire thing to give out and be blasted backwards, not caring for silence and caution anymore.

Nothing.

He backed away slowly, from this door, this wall, this force that held him in its grasp. His legs trembled with each step backwards, until he stumbled, feet entangled in the silk sheet that had lain forgotten on the floor.

_No... no....._

The soft keen bubbled up, deep in his throat and tried to spill forth but he helf it back, not wanting to give in, not wanting to let go of his hold onto denial and disbelief.

There was nothing wrong with him! With his powers! He just had to... had to get a control of himself. That was all. He would be out of here soon, not now, but soon. His telekinesis _hadn't_ abandoned him!

He repeated the reassurances to himself, as he sat there on the floor, his body still wracked with small trembles that gradually decreased as his breathing evened out and grew calm.

Wait a little more. Just a bit more. But for now, call Schuldig.

_Schuldig!_

Wide eyes snapped open at the thought of the German. He had forgotten, in his lapse of control and bearings, that he could reach the telepath through their link.

The reminder reassured him further, and for the first time, Nagi was grateful for the mind-bond with the man.

_Schuldig!_

His eyes were closed once more, and he bit his lower lip, brows furrowed in concentration.

_Schuldig! Damnit! Answer me! This is no time to play your fucking mind games Schuldig!_

His fingers started to tremble, and a bead of sweat rolled down his temple despite the relatively cool air of the room.

_SCHULDIG! ANSWER ME DAMN YOU! ANSWER ME!_

Silence.

There was no answer from the other end. Nagi's arms had come up to wrap around his shaking body, and his muscles jerked and spasmed uncontrollably.

_NonononoNONONO! This cannot be happening!_

_SCHULDIG!!!_

No reply. No mock-laced voice in a nasal tone. No aggravating, dark laugh.

Just pure, complete, empty silence.

_... damn you.... _

Something wet and hot slid down his cheek. And Nagi realized, with a rather detached and morbid fascination from the confines of his subconscience, that it was a tear.

_... Schuldig...... _

_.... no....._


	5. Chapter Four

**Bad Kitten: Chapter Four  
By. Bento Box  
04/05/03**

---

The transaction hadn't gone as smoothly as he would have liked. He would be detained here in Tokyo for another two weeks.

_Two weeks... hm._

He pursed his lips, his features schooled into a thoughful look of consideration. He hadn't planned on keeping his newly acquired pet for any longer than a few days. But with the new setback in his plans, perhaps it would be best to make the most use of his time here, with the pretty little kitten.

He smiled.

Indeed, it would be best to take advantage of the extra time fate had bestowed him.

Who knows, maybe he'd even take his little kitten out of Japan back home once the transaction was done.

He chuckled softly to himself.

Good mood returned, he toyed with the thought of making his business partners' deaths painless once the deal was completed. After all, he did owe them a slight favor for giving this unforeseen chance to spend more time with his little kitten, hm?

**—**

Crawford smoothly shifted the gears of the two-door car. Schuldig, who sat next to him, shifted restlessly. Farfarello had been left behind back at the apartment, his presence not required in their search for Nagi.

Luckily for them, their new client had not required their presence at the evening's meeting. The freedom from duty had enabled them to investigate around Nagi's school.

When Schuldig had called earlier in the day, Nagi's teachers informed that he had indeed been there all day. Most of Nagi's classmates had been out of comfortable range for Schuldig to have pinned them down specifically, but he had been able to sift through the memories of a couple of the teenaged girls who lingered at the nearby café. But their memories only served to confirm that Nagi had been in attendance right until the very last class, and that he had been behind them when they had all walked out of the school building.

There were some people in the area, employes of the stores and restaurants, who had vague recollections of the boy walking by but they were completely useless.

To surmise the entire investigation: they came up empty-handed.

And throughout their entire time out, Crawford had had no visions, and Schuldig had had no telepathic calls or answers. Instead, Schuldig had gotten an unpleasant, and rather unsettling, feeling towards evening. The sensation had been reminiscent of having to do something important, but not remembering what was so important until too late.

Except that didn't make sense to Schuldig, because he never forgot anything; voluntarily at least.

So after several fruitless and frustrating hours, with nothing except for a confirmation for Nagi's school attendance, they headed back towards their current apartment.

As they neared their destination, Schuldig suddenly turned to the other man.

"So what the hell are we going to do now?"

Crawford kept his eyes trained on the road before him.

"We wait."

Schuldig snorted. "Jaaaaa. We __wait, and in the meantime Nagi could be tortured for information or some shit. Hell, he could even be _dead_. INGENIOUS idea Brad! Let's _wait_ and see how much there is of the chibi left when we finally DO find him!"

Crawford remained outwardly impassive to the German's sneering jibes.

"Nagi is more than capable of handling any punishment dealt to him. He will not betray Schwarz."

Schuldig gave the American an inredulous, disgusted look.

"He's a FUCKING KID Brad. I don't give a flying fuck if he's been trained since the day he could fucking walk! He can BREAK with the right amount of pressure."

The redhead glowered at the seemingly statue-like creature next to him. What the fuck was wrong with the American?! Men were the most corrupted, cruel creatures to have ever been created and God fucking knows what they'd be able to come up with, to DO, to a young boy.

"Do not underestimate Nagi."

The statement surprised Schuldig a bit. It showed how strongly the American believed in the young boy's abilities to take care of himself in any imagined or real hostile environment. But while they all possessed amazing abilities, they were all still _mortal_. They could die. Nagi could die.

"Damnit."

The redhead sprawled as best as he could back into his seat. He heaved an exasperated snarl.

"This shit doesn't even make any fucking sense. How the FUCK could Nagi have been taken out? WHO the fuck got Nagi? It makes NO FUCKING SENSE. Your magical crystal ball's busted and I can't get SHIT on the kid's mind. Who the fuck is strong enough to be able to shield him like this?!"

The American remained silent as his teammate continued to vent out his frustration and anger.

Though Crawford said nothing, Schuldig was verbally voicing his own questions. The situation disturbed him, to be sure, but there was nothing he could do about any of it. His powers had, it seemed, failed him horribly this once. As Schuldig had mentioned, none of it made any sense.

Why Nagi? Who? How? Those were just the basic queries that flitted through Crawford's mind.

It couldn't be any of their old enemies--they had either been destroyed, or were oblivious to Schwarz's presence. Schwarz were believed to be dead, and in a figurative sense, they were. In the circuits, they weren't Schwarz, merely a group of four men on hire whose names and faces were blurred and cloudy. No one in the dark underworld were even really sure, or overly concerned, of their true existance or not--thanks to Schuldig's abilities to play with memories.

And it was most certainly NOT Weiß who had been able to get ahold of Nagi. One, they didn't have the abilities to. Nagi would have been able to take them all at once by himself. Two, they were part of the very few people who had known them and they too believed that Schwarz was gone. Three, Weiß, unlike Schwarz, had truly dissipitated.

Crawford could feel the headache steadily grow between his temples.

Today had not been a good day.


	6. Chapter Five

**Bad Kitten: Chapter Five  
By. Bento Box  
07/05/04**

---

The stony, grave face of his butler appeared at the door, ready to take his overcoat and dress jacket away. A clear glass filled with the sharp scent of delightfully aged wine was then presented to him on a simple, silver platter. He graced the man with a smile, feeling inordinately pleased today.

The meeting had certainly gone a lot smoother, having discussed the terms of payment anew with his partner's head advisor. He had not been pleased with the representative they had sent to him the previous day, and the irritation at finding himself dealing with such incompetence had resulted in the ugly task of disposing with the man. It was a smart move on their part to give him the respect that he deserved the second time around. A third incident would have cost them much than just a single life.

He smiled again, to himself, savoring the bitter taste that burned down his throat.

Walking the short distance from the entryway to the private lounge, he settled comfortably into the wide expanse of a leather couch and with a slight flicker of his wrist the flat screen hummed silently to life.

"--and the body was found lying in the dark alley between Hana's Supermarket and the residential apartment complex. Police chief Suzuki Ichiro has disclosed the following information."

A tall man, short-cropped dark hair peppered with gray, appeared in the screen, microphones thrust about him from all sides. His face was solemn as he spoke, neither remorseful nor optimistic.

"We have been unable to identify the body as of this present time, but it can be stated that the young boy died from drug overdose. The body shall be examined and further details shall be disclosed at a later time."

The screen narrowed to a silver slit before blanking out completely. The wine glass rose to his stretched lips once more, a quirky smile in place of the pleased one from earlier.

Such a shame his last toy had died. But he was a monogamous man, in all of his varying relationships. And it just wouldn't do keeping his old pet when he had such a lovely new one whose delicate training needed his utmost attention.

The wine disappeared slowly behind pale lips.

—

Nagi was on edge, but had a firmer grip on his emotions than the last time he had awoken to the sight of his unknown surroundings. He was fairly certain that two days had passed since he had been taken to the room he was currently trapped in, but he had spent a majority of the first day unconscious so it was hard to really say.

It was during Nagi's waking moments that he had the unsettling feeling that he had not spent the time in the dark recesses of his mind completely alone. Oh, he knew there had to be some form of surveillance monitoring him, but it wasn't that intrusion that bothered him most. It was the sense that someone else had physically been in the room with him, and not just for a physical check-up or to pump him with drugs or whatever it was they were doing to control his powers and keeping his connection with Schuldig blocked.

The sense of hands ghosting over his bared skin, of lips pressing against his own, made his stomach want to heave. He was surprised he hadn't already, after the vivid recollection of a thick tongue sliding gently past his lips had come to him earlier today.

These vague impressions were all that he had though, of any other presence besides his own. He could not remember feeling hunger or the need to relieve his bowels. There was no lingering aromas of food or otherwise to indicate that he had been fed or washed. It was a curious thought, but also a terrifying one because he had no idea who held him captive. Fighting blindly without any back-up or the comfort of his powers also set his teeth on edge, and if at least one of his answers wasn't answered soon he was going to lose his tenuous control over his raging emotions.

Wrapping his naked body underneath the thick bedspread, he hoped the layers of material would shield the monitors from picking up on the slight tremble that shook his hands as he stared blankly at the wall. One complete and total breakdown was one too many and Nagi berated himself for allowing his control to deteriorate so much that he had given the enemy a glimpse behind his stoic facade.

_Stupid Nagi, stupid, stupid._

He wanted to go back to the apartment, with Schuldig and his nasal voice whining about needing more cigarettes, and Crawford coolly reminding him to do a quick scan regarding a new target. Even Farfarello with his odd ways and manic smile was missed.

He hadn't felt this alone in so long, ever since joining Schwarz, always having the comforting presence of Schuldig in the back of his mind to keep him connected to the rest of the group.

But he couldn't let his fear rule him, not when he needed his wits and composure most in this unfamiliar and uncertain territory. Nagi had to wait and bide his time. The presence would reveal itself soon enough, and in the meantime, he would bury the burning sensation of lips bearing down against his own.


End file.
